Topic

Launch Control

Three launch clips: a Golf R, a C63 and a G87 M2. The captions name a tunnel in one and acceleration in another; none names a part. What decides a launch is which wheels get the torque. The Golf R is all-wheel drive in every generation listed, and the Mk8 adds a rear differential with two clutch packs. The C63 ranges from rear-drive V8s to the W206, whose rear-axle electric motor and 4MATIC+ give 1,020 Nm and 3.4 s to 100 km/h. The G87 M2 sends 550 Nm from its S58 to the rear wheels only, through a torque-converter automatic or a manual.